PMD: Journey of Stars
by Saraceaser
Summary: Join Avery and his companions as he's thrown into a world of wonder and excitement! Audience answers to Polls and Reviews make the story! What adventures lies before the young heroes? What awaits them on their many journeys? What are Dimensional Stones? Many questions will be asked and answered on their heralding journey! Read and Review is appreciated!
1. Character Profiles

_**Note: I've changed it so that this will always be the FIRST chapter to save the confusion between this and any new chapter following! If you're a new reader, I suggest you quickly move on to the Prologue, or else you'll find a lot of spoilers here!**_

 **Oh, and if you think I should change something about the list, just let me know! Thanks! - For info. about *, check bottom of page -**

 **Hey, everyone! One of my good friends suggested that I keep a character profile so that as time goes on, I can keep track of characters, and you guys can look up the information on each of the characters, and I'll update it every time a new chapter is added, so the information is always recent! I'm always accepting new OC's! It may take a while for them to appear, but if you want one, just follow this OC form:**

 **1]Name 2]Pokemon* 3]Gender 4]Appearance 5]Personality 6]Characteristics 7]Level 8]Job 9]Moves 10]B.G. Info. - Just PM / Review!, and remember to do the Poll for places you'd like me to base off of!**

 **Character Profiles**

 **PMD: Journey of Stars**

Name \- Gender - Pokemon(S=Shiny) - Lvl - Job - Moves - _(Optional: Creator of OC) -_ _(B.G.)Background Info._

 **Appeared so far:**

Avery(Main) \- M - Litleo - Lvl 5 - Team ? - Moves: ? - A Human-turned-Pokemon, Avery was thrust into the world with only his name and the memory of being a Human, and not a clue as to why he's a Pokemon. True to his queer nature, he can be pretty hot headed while at the same time being a klutz. Met Bolt when he first woke up in the Pokemon world and decided to travel with him. He has a strange key like mark on his paw...

Bolt(Main) \- M - Shinx - Lvl 15 - Team ? - Moves: Iron Tail, ? - Your average teen, Bolt, like so many other Pokemon, was very unhappy to find that he couldn't evolve when he had his 15th birthday. He found Avery by what seemed to be chance, and the two have been traveling together since. He dreams of becoming a famous Pokemon Rescuer. Apparently knew Mr. Randolf for a very long time, but that's all that's known about his shrouded past...

Nancy(Main) \- F - Fennekin(S) - Lvl 10 - Team ? - Moves: Heat Wave, ? - _DawnForever101 -_ A rare find, Nancy's a shiny Fennekin with a spark in her heart. Bright, cheery, and ever wanting to help, Nancy joined Avery and Bolt basically on their quest to help find Mr. Randolf's key. Because she's extremely easy going with a fiery passion, she quickly got acquainted with the two. She saved Avery from a falling tree. Though she truly wants to help, why else she wants to go with the duo so much is unknown...

Marshal Randolf \- M - Slowking - Lvl ? - Antique Shop Owner - Moves: ? - Long time owner of the Antique Shop, Mr. Randolf seems to have done something great in his past. He's known Bolt since he was young, but why is unknown. Has an important box with a lock, but lost the key in Deserted Quarry, and is unaware the Avery, Bolt, and Nancy have gone to search for it. Has a habit of cleaning his stone on his crown.

Jet \- M - Gabite - Lvl 47 - Team Apex(Leader) - Moves: Dragon Rush, Earthquake, Crunch, Slash - _SilverScepter_ \- A bit of a hot-head, Jet has the pride of a king and the patience of a tiger, but he's found to be protective when it comes to his team, particularly Faye. A long time Rescuer, Jet has many battle scars covering his body with a tribal tattoo running down his side, and was pretty upset when he found that he couldn't evolve. Apparently he's a good leader, though, with him and Atlas having been old childhood friends. He seems to get along with Faye pretty well. He wears a pendant of unknown origins...

Atlas \- M - Lairon - Lvl 38 -Team Apex - Moves: Iron Defense, Iron Head, Head Smash, Roar - _SilverScepter_ \- Even though he's older, Atlas has long since let Jet be the leader, instead being the teams shield. Having been together with Jet since long ago, his hide has acquired many scratches and dents. Being much more level-headed and calm, Atlas has become the voice of reason in the team, and is very loyal to his friends. He seems to have a connection with Faye joining the team...

Faye \- F - Flaaffy - Lvl 29 - Team Apex - Moves: Thunder Wave, Cotton Guard, Flatter, Thunder Shock - _SilverScepter_ \- The only female in Team Apex, Faye is extremely flirtatious and energetic, and she seems to be pretty new to the team. She has long fur for a Flaaffy, and she loves to wear a ribbon on her head, along with a Pecha Scarf. Being the newest member and usually fighting from a distance unlike Jet and Atlas, she carries the team's Adventure Bag. It's unclear why she's joined...

? \- ? - ? - Lvl ? - The Head - Moves: ? - A mysterious figure, the Head is someone you don't want to turn on you, though who they really are is unknown...

? \- ? - Aipom - Lvl ? - Internal Message Carrier - Moves: ? - A message carrier in the Great Tree.

? \- M - ? - Lvl ? - ? - Moves: ? - A tall mysterious figure, he seems to roam across the land with his partner, searching for objects and places unknown...

? \- M - ? - Lvl ? - ? - Moves: Sand Tomb, ? - Shorter than it's compatriot, the figure follows it's partner as they travel for mysterious reasons...

 **Requested OC's:**

Melody \- F - Kirlia - Lvl 50 - Team Aurora(Leader) - Moves: Extrasensory, Psychic, Draining Kiss, Synchronoise/Healing Pulse(?) - _grovyleTheGreat_

Eva \- F - Glaceon - Lvl 15 - (Former:Team Aurora)Kecleon Shop Helper - Moves: Tackle, Icy Wind, Avalanche, Fake Tears(?) - _grovyleTheGreat_

Angelica \- F - Absol - Lvl 34 - Team Aurora(New Member) - Moves: Swords Dance, Night Slash, Detect, Iron Tail(?) - _grovyleTheGreat_

Firestorm \- M - Cyndaquil - Lvl 9 - ? - Moves: Tackle, Flare Blitz, Leer, Mimic/Flame Burst(?) - _Jaegothis7_

Amber \- F - Drapion - Lvl 100 - Bloomin' Joy(Berry shop owner) - Moves: Poison Jab, Cross Poison, Ice Fang, Night Slash- _ultima-owner_

Reggie \- M - Mudkip - Lvl 15 - ? - Moves: Barrier, Tackle, Ice Ball, Mud Bomb(?) - _Aneeb_

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 ***Note that only non-Legendary Pokemon are accepted. Sorry about that!**


	2. Prologue

**Sorry that the original was taken down, but here it is: The Prologue! I hope you enjoy! Oh, and as an apology, I'm accepting OC's! I can't guarantee when your OC will appear, but I'll make it as soon as possible! Oh, and remember to do the Poll if you haven't already! Now on with the story, and thanks for reading! DISCLAIMER: Saraceaser doesn't own Pokemon! (I wish I did!=3)**

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Prologue

The wind howled as the storm raged. The moon was swallowed by the ravaged clouds, changing the sky's bright blue to a void of darkness. As the wind prowled, racing through the trees, the bitter rain snapped it's harsh cold and wet teeth into everything that got in it's path. The pitch of night was void of all light except the flashes of lightning that streaked across the sky. The lightning's growls and roars, the thunder rolled across the sky, frightening the life that could hear and feel its terrible might. As the storm raged on, the lightning flashed white for a second, revealing two drenched figures in hoods running through the dense trees.

"Are you sure it was around here?" Asked one of the figures, who stood taller than the other, it's face obscured in shadow by the hood of it's cloak and the black of the night. The second figure just nodded silently, barely visible in the gloom and curtain of heavy rain. The two ran through the forest again, searching. They journeyed quickly, and stopped abruptly at an astonishing sight. The sky's fury flashed once more, revealing that what the duo thought they were looking at was not an illusion in the dark.

A small area in the forest had been demolished by what appeared to be a large meteorite. The duo stopped and looked at each other for a second, then followed the short deep trail the meteorite left as it had skidded to a stop. But as the two cautiously drew closer, the blinding flashes of light revealed that what appeared to be a meteorite was in fact a small object. The taller figure got close to it with the smaller stayed back to keep watch. Leaning down, the leader studied the strange object as the rain slid down off of it's hood and onto the object.

The object was a rugged cube shape, roughly a bit bigger than an Sitrus Berry. As the figure studied it critically, it noticed that it glowed very softly in a silver blue light, almost too dim to notice. The silver metallic surface was covered in strange symbols that seemed to change and move on their own. The figure gently picked it up, and noticed that there was small holes that sat in the center of each face of the cube. Before the shadow of the figure had time to analyze it further, it was abruptly stopped when a hand grabbed it's shoulder.

Alarmed at the sudden unexpected contact, the figure jumped forward and spun around, holding the cube defensively in one arm while the other was put up for defense and attack. As the perpetrator came closer, the taller figure was relieved to find that it was just it's companion through the haze of the torrential rain. "You know you shouldn't sneak up on me! What if I had attacked you? You could have gotten hurt!" The taller figure quietly yet harshly reprimanded the other. Sighing in relief and slight exasperation, the taller drew the cube from behind it's back, showing it to it's shorter companion.

"What ever the case, we need to bring this back immediately. They will want to see this." The taller figure said, indicating the cube, as the lightning flashed over head. The shorter figure nodded, and the two started to head back into the safety of the cover of the deep and quiet forest. The rain still falling relentlessly, seemingly unnoticeable to the two huddled and drenched figures, they trekked back to the way they came into the desolate clearing. Just before they reentered the void of the forest, the taller figure cast one last look around the area as it stowed the cube into it's cloak, then turned back, it's shadow gone in a flash of lightning and a rumble of resonating thunder.

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 **Ooh, ominous beginning! Now I hope all of you will continue to support my story! Please Read and Review! Oh, and please if you haven't done so, do the Poll! It's super important to the development of the story! Thanks! If you have any questions, PM me or write your question in your review! Thanks once again, and sorry about the mix up! Next chapter will come out soon! See you then! Here's the OC form:**

 **1] Name. 2] Pokemon. 3] Gender. 4] Appearance. 5] Characteristics(Special Qualities!). 6] Personality. 7] Level(If you want). 8] Job. 9] Moves(If you want!). 10] Extra info. That should be it! 5, 7, 9, and 10 are optional, I'll take care of them if you don't care! Thanks!**


	3. Ch1:Stroll in Sun-Dew Forest

**Hey guys, been busy with school and all, so here it is(finally): The First(real) Chapter! Wow, 4,000 words? This one's pretty long! The other's might not be that long, just warning you now. Oh, and remember to Poll and Review(Be kind, thanks)! Those are important! And for Team Apex, thank you SilverScepter! I hope I displayed them decently well. Please Review, and Thanks! Oh, and I'm accepting OC's! Check bottom for more info.**

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Chapter 1

The sun was warm and bright, the sky clear. One of the sun's many light waves fell onto a figure lying deep in the forest in a small grove. The figure layed still, not stirring from the coolness of the shadow of the tree's nor the sun's warm light. The form shifted under the bough of the high tree. As the newly dawned morning stretched on slowly, the small shape shifted in it's seemingly endless dream, unaware that fate was playing with life's strings...

The silent and calm morning gave way to a sunny warm midday, the sun right above shining down warmly onto the anticipated earth below. The air resonated with the sound of the wind blowing through the trees and grass, a million soft and subtle flutes and piccolos. Mixing with the sound, the lapping waves of the streams tumbling over and around the rocks, soft brass harmony. And mixed with it all, in the air was the subtle sound of footsteps on the fresh green grass and the different sounds each individual Pokemon made as they talked, adding almost non existent drums into the mixed orchestra of Sun-Dew Forest's life.

One of those particular footsteps belonged to a Pokemon who paced around anxiously. _Ugh, should I? I should, but I really don't think I can...But I really should, no, I will! But what if they say no...Ugh!_ The Pokemon's small black and blue paws padded as it paced back and forth, undecided and slowly but surely getting increasingly dizzy. It paced in front of a tree with a huge sign hanging high above, a door carved into the side of the trunk. As with all of the trees in Sun-Dew Forest, they grew to great heights and were super thick and sturdy, perfect for carving out without hurting the tree. Sighing again while mentally reprimanding himself, the small Pokemon decided to take a walk through the forest. As he walked, he stopped every once and again to say hello to the local Pokemon.

He continued on, then after some deciding, stopped in front of an old storefront. The store was carved into an old willow, some of the long string like branches tied back like curtains to let the sun into the few windows. The door was rounded edged, shaping to the contours of the tree. On the door an intricate swirl was carved into the hand made door, shaping around what appeared to be a giant oak in the middle of the door design with two concentric circles in it's canopy. The Pokemon looked at the design for no more than a second, wondering what they could mean. Shaking it off, he stepped onto the single step of the doorway, using a blue fore-paw to push open the door. When the door opened, a tingling sound ringed from the bell tied to the doorway. From inside, a old and cracking voice was heard behind a small counter.

"Agh, if it isn't youngling Liteling! What 'nice su'prise!" The voice said. The Pokemon walked up to the counter, waiting for the shopkeeper to appear. Taking the moment, he looked around at the store. The store was small because though the willow was extraordinarily big, the trunk was still pretty thin.

Along the inside of the trunk were shelves built right from the trunk, giving them extra support. The shelves were stacked with all sorts of strange and unusual objects. One of these shelves was covered in jars of all shapes, sizes, and colors. The Pokemon walked up to the shelf and stared into a jar. It was clear and filled with green liquid of an unknown substance. Taking a closer look, the object inside was what appeared to be some sort of blob that was what looked like to the Pokemon a misshapen berry of some kind.

"Ugh, Mr. Randolf, how many times must I tell you not to call me that? That's a kits name, and I'm not a kit anymore! I haven't been called that for five years." The Pokemon huffed, pride at it's best. A creaky laugh resonated, and from behind the counter emerged the old shopkeeper. He was a old Slowking. His once bright colored pink skin had faded to a dull pale, and one of the horns on his head had broken off a long time ago. The frill around his neck was wrinkled dull, and his once proud stature had bent to a low hunch, having to use a peculiar cane to help walk. The only thing that showed his once younger days was the stone on his crown, bright red and almost glowing from constant cleaning and loving care.

"Aye, this maybe true, but ye have yet to evolve into a Luxio. Therefore, ye are still 'youngling, so that s'why Aye call ye Liteling." He explained in his strange way of speaking, reminding the smaller Shinx of stories he heard about Pirate Pokemon. The younger Pokemon shook his head in response, knowing that arguing is pointless. He rolled his eyes, wondering how many times they had had this conversation. As he did though, his eyes landed on a box on the counter that wasn't there when he first walked in.

"That's only because I can't evolve! I would have when my fifteenth birthday came, but because of the strange events going on, you know I can't. Anyways, what's in the box?" The Shinx couldn't help but comment, then pushed the subject away from old news. As asked about the box, he pointed to it using his tail, the star at the end flicking. Now interested in the matter at hand, he walked up to the box and examined it. The box was made of wood, and was clearly very old but very well cared for. What really intrigued the young Pokemon was the fact that what appeared to be a key hole on the front, but the shape looked more like a exclamation mark, except the dot was in the shape of a star.

"That? That's been in me family for generations 'n generations! Aye forgot Aye 'ad it, but me found it 'ile clean'n this morn'n. Though me can't say Aye remember 'ere the key went off tah…" After that, the old dual type went off grumbling about trying to remember where the key is, and what the key even looked like. The Shinx shook his head, leaving the older one with his own thoughts and terrible memory. Using both of his sky blue fore-paws, he attempted to open the box. Unsuccessful for the key that was assumable to be missing, he stepped closer.

Peering at it, he now realized that the box was covered in weird symbols, swirling around each other. As he stared at the symbols, they seemed more and more familiar. _Have I seen these before? Hmm...Well, they kind of seem like-_ The thought was cut off when a loud knocking sound came from the door. The knocking sound was so loud and hard that some of the queer objects fell onto the floor. The young Pokemon dove, trying to catch the more fragile items. Luckily, he caught most of the glass things, standing on a back paw while the other three paws and legs, along with his head, back, and long tail held up the items, and holding one tight in his teeth, making him look like a comical statue.

 _Ugh, if I don't put all this down soon, I'll drop it!_ Trying his best to remain balanced, he carefully put the bucket type thing in his mouth down, pausing only to shift when he felt an object on his back start to slide off. After he relieved his aching mouth of the pain from having to hold the the heavy antique, he continued onto put the rest of the items down, but succeeded in only getting off balance. _Aghh!_ He shut his eyes tight, anticipating the fall and crash. But, it never came.

 _Huh?_ He cracked an eye open, and was immediately taken aback. He floated in the air a few feet above the ground, wrapped in a bright magenta glow. He looked over to see the Slowking extending one of his arms out, concentrating. The Shinx watched in wonder as the old shopkeeper lower his arm, his body heaving and his body leaning against the staff. As his arm lowered, so was the Flash Pokemon's body. Finally safe on the ground, the Shinx stumbled a little and watched in awe as the objects, still surrounded in the glow of the Psychic, floated gently to their respective place on the large shelf. Once everything was in it's place, the older Pokemon heaved greatly, leaning against the staff as he took several shaky breaths of air.

"Aye'm too old, to do these things," He said in between raspy breaths of air. After a few seconds, he gathered himself and turned to the door. "Who's out there?" He called in a normal yet strong voice. The Shinx crept up to the nearest window to the door, and peered out. Outside, from what he could see, there were three Pokemon he had never seen before.

The one on the left was a Lairon with a hide covered in dents and scratches. He didn't look all that scary, but definitely looked like he was prepared for a fight. The Pokemon on the right was a Flaaffy, whose fur the Shinx noted was noticeably long, and had a light blue ribbon tied in her fur that matched the orb on her tail near her left ear. She also wore a Pecha scarf and an adventure bag around her shoulder.

The last one in the middle, though, made the Shinx shiver a little. He was had to be the most intimidating of the three. The Gabite stood tall with a long tattoo. He was covered in scars up and down his body with a fierce look in his eyes. The Shinx could automatically tell he was not someone to mess with. As he analyzed him, the younger Pokemon noticed a small necklace hanging around his neck with a charm or pendant, though he couldn't make it out from here.

"Is this place open?" Asked the Lairon who seemed calm about the situation. The Shinx automatically liked him, for he seemed very cool and collective.

"Maybe the owner is out? I bet he's young and handsome!" The Flaaffy added, clearly dreaming about her perfect Pokemon mate. The Shinx snorted, wondering what she would think if she found out that the shopkeeper was an old Slowking.

"Hah, like that's even a remote possibility! This place is completely old and ancient. I mean, look at it! It's rundown, so the owner would be exactly the same; ancient and rundown." The Gabite huffed, irritated for a reason unknown to the Shinx watching in the window. Though when he said the word 'rundown', it was the Shinx's turn to be miffed. He walked up to the door before the Slowking could reach it, and opened the door with enough force that the door hit the side of the tree. The three stopped talking and turned to see an angry Shinx standing in the doorway.

"Okay, listen here! This place may be old, may be ancient, but it's not rundown! It's very well cared for and loved!" The Shinx yelled at the Gabite, growling in fury from such an insult. The three blinked in surprise, slightly taken aback. The Gabite was the first to shake it off, his eyes mirroring the fury in the Shinx's. Even though he towered over the Shinx, the smaller Pokemon sent off small sparks of electricity from his tail in rebellion.

"What was that, squirt?" The two glared at each other, the tension in the air rising. The Shinx's tail lit with the electricity flowing through it as he powered up a Thunder Fang. The Gabite's gnarled teeth glowed, powering up a powerful Crunch. The two prepared themselves for the attack. Out of the corner of the electric types eye, he saw the Lairon step forward. The Shinx was about to attack when he was tackled to the ground from the side.

"Oomph!" The small Pokemon cried out as the wind was knocked out of him. Just as he was hit, he saw the surprised looks from the Gabite and Lairon. When he hit the floor with whatever that had tackled him on top of him, he blinked in pain as the world swirled around him. _What happened…?_

"Ooh, aren't you so cute!" A squeal from above made the Shinx blink and look up. The Flaaffy crouched over him, hovering as she made happy sounds and waged her long tail. The Shinx attempted to get up and away from crazy female when she sat on him, rooting him to the ground. "You must be so strong and brave to face Jet like that! I like strong Pokemon," She said very flirtatiously, leaning close with half lidded eyes, causing the Shinx to back away as much as he could.

"Get off of him, Faye." The Lairon walked over. The Flaaffy began a rapid fire round of complaining, falling on deaf ears. The Shinx gave the crazy female's companion a look that clearly had a message of 'help'. The Lairon looked into the Shinx's eyes, then sighed.

"Faye, get off." He simply said, turning to the grumbling Flaaffy, still perched on the stomach of the helpless Shinx. The Flaaffy huffed, her arms crossed, but after a few seconds of being under the pressure of the Lairons stare, sighed and got off.

"Ok, but I still think he's pretty cute," She said giving the now scarred Shinx one last wink and blew a kiss. She walked over to join her Gabite companion, who was shooting death glares in between speaking and listening. He shivered mentally and physically. The Lairon turned back to the Shinx, causing him to look.

"Sorry about that. She's not that bad, but she's pretty...unique. Oh, and we're Team Apex, by the way." He said the word 'unique' at length, looking off, thinking. _Yeah, she's unique all right,_ The Shinx thought as he sneaked a peek at the Flaaffy. Still talking to the Gabite, she noticed him peering at her and gave him a very flirtatious wink complete with a slight shrug of her shoulder. He smiled back halfheartedly, then turned his attention back to the Lairon who was currently talking, after making a mental note to stay away from her as much as possible.

"Team Apex? That's a strange name."The Shinx commented. The Lairon shrugged.

"Well, that's our name. The Gabite over there, He's our leader." The Lairon nodded toward the temperamental Gabite.

"I really am sorry for the mess my friend made." The Lairon said turning to the shopkeeper, bowing his head to the Slowking who in return just waved a paw.

"It's fayene, it's fayane. Youngling Liteling 'ere always causes aye trouble, as you younglings do." The Gabite and Flaaffy had walked over to the small group listening in.

"Youngling Liteling? Once a squirt, always a squirt." The Gabite said gruffly, smiling devilishly at the new info he could use against the Shinx. The Shinx in turn was quite ashamed, and turned to glare at the Gabite with as much pride he could muster.

"Yeah, well, you're just a Gabite, not even fully grown! You have no right to say anything to me about being a squirt, you squirt!" The Gabite blinked, then his eyes were lit with fire from his fury from being hit where it hurt.

"You, you-!" The furious Gabite began, about to launch himself at the smirking Shinx, but was held back as the Lairon held down the dragons tail.

"Enough, Jet, we have what we came for, and we need to get going or we're going to miss the meeting at the guild," The Lairon said to the Gabite as the Flaaffy headed to the door, waiting for her companions. The Gabite looked at the two, muttered something unintelligible under his breath, then turned back to face the perplexed Shinx.

"Fine, but next time, you and me are going to battle, here me? Let's beat it." He said heading out the door first, peeved at admitting defeat to a 'squirt'. The Shinx walked over to the door, cocking his head at the prospect of fighting a ground type, but stopped when he heard a voice behind him.

"He's not all that bad, you know. He's just a bit...prideful." The Lairon said at length, almost unsure about the last word. He gave a final word of thanks to the shopkeeper then headed out.

"Well, see you around, Sweety!" The Flaaffy said giggling, giving the Shinx a quick kiss on the cheek, then bounded after her companions as they made their way to the guild's tree. The Shinx sat back on his haunches, rubbing the place where she kissed him with a paw furiously, trying to rub it's very existence away. _Ugh..._

"Heh, younglings sure know 'ere it's at," The Slowking walked up behind the Shinx, standing in the doorway watching the world go by around them. He looked at the younger Pokemon, thinking. The Shinx was thinking deeply, rubbing the his cheek absent mindlessly. "You want tah become a rescuer too, don't 'cha?" He asked the Shinx, giving him a sideways grin.

"Yeah," The Shinx began. "But I don't know if I can do it. That Gabite, for all his arrogance, was actually really strong. If that's what a real rescue team's like, I don't know if I could do it." The Shinx said downheartedly, feeling much less confident than earlier. The older Pokemon sighed, thinking before answering the younger Pokemon's unasked questions that lay deep in his heart.

"Aye, this may b'true that ye be no the strong'st, but ye have the heart to b'a rescuer, and that's what matters most'n th'end" He said, tapping his fore finger on the Shinx's chest. The Shinx looked up at the wiser Pokemon, then shook his head, steeling himself. Full of renewed confidence, he pounced back up onto his feet.

"Thanks, Mr. Rudolf! I'm going to go and join the guild!" He said with so much confidence that the owner of the store blinked with a surprised expression. After a heart beat, the shopkeeper laughed a loud and hearty laugh that quickly turned to a fit of coughs. The Shinx raised an eyebrow, wondering what could be so funny.

"That's what me likes tah 'ere, youngling," He said with a slight chuckle, pleased. "Ye best be goin' now. The sun will set soon enough, so ye best go before the ol'shop clos's for the day." The Slowking added, waving toward the now orange stained sky with a paw. The Shinx looked up at the sky, not noticing it before. The sun was sinking, the sky turning all shades of pinks, oranges, and reds, slowly giving way to the deep purple of night.

"Oh no! I really need to leave now if I'm going to make it! Bye, Mr. Randolf!" The Shinx scrambled over the step, calling behind his back. The shopkeeper waved, then turned inside while shutting the door, closing the shop for the day. The young Shinx raced through the woods against time, running headlong through all sorts of bramble and brush. _I hope I can make it,_ He thought over and over again in his head. He shut his eyes, hoping with all his might, but instead tripped over something, falling on top of something very...soft?

"Oof!" He said when he fell off of the soft clump of unknown origin. He rubbed his bottom where he fell off of the mound. He peered at the mound, not sure at first what it could be. _Is that...fur?_ He walked up, about to grab a twig to poke it when he noticed it quiver. Then it hit him. It was a Pokemon! He ran over to the fallen Pokemon, careful not to fall on top of it again. He carefully shook it's shoulders, calling. "Hey, are you alright? Is there something wrong?" He asked, concerned what could have happened to it.

Panicking slightly as the Pokemon remained unresponsive, he was about to run back to old Mr. Randolf when he heard what sounded like a growl. He turned around to see the Pokemon shift subtly. He bent over next to the Pokemon's shadowed face, trying to hear better. "Say again?" He told the fallen Poke.

"...-od..." The young Pokemon grumbled, shifting sightly. The Shinx thought for a moment, then leaned down closer after unsuccessfully trying to decipher the words that came from the fallen Pokemon's mouth.

"Sorry, could you repeat that?" He asked, not catching it the first time. He leaned down so close that his ear was just hair's width away from the head of the unknown Poke. BAM! The Shinx was thrown away as the other Pokemon suddenly jumped up on to it's feet. "Ugghhh..." He moaned till he heard a cub's attempt at a roar.

"IT's CCCCCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLDDDDD!" The Pokemon yowled, shocking all of the Pokemon in the area, frightening some bird Pokemon to flight. The Shinx jumped, startled and concerned on multiple levels. _What's going on...!?_

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While The Shinx finds the unknown Pokemon, in another part of the forest...

"It's up ahead." As the sun's last light lit the forest, night's shadow became more evident in the growing darkness of the forest. Two hooded figures raced deathly silent through the forest, focused on getting to their destination with out being seen. They paused for only for a moment in the keening void. They glanced around, their keen senses pin pointing on every little movement and sound. Once they were sure they were alone and no one had followed, they nodded to each other. They leaped through the foliage, their legs powerfully pushing them forward with only a slight rustle.

Reaching an aging oak, the taller shadow figure glanced around the now night laced woods. In the light of the moon, the shorter figure was almost invincible as it stooped on a thick branch, unlocking the secret door to the hidden staircase leading down. The two nodded, silent words passing between each other. The shorter figure walked through the door and to the passageway beyond, with the larger figure close behind, stealing glances behind. With one last glance, it closed the door, sealing the secrets that lie, waiting, inside...

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 **Ooh, nothing like a little foreshadowing and suspense! Sorry that this chapter doesn't have Avery in it much, and the Partner's name is never mentioned here, but I had to stop somewhere! I Promise that he'll appear more in the next chapter! Overall, I have to say, I'm not as proud with this chapter as I would like, but I plan on making changes to it soon! So, Read and Review, please! But, be kind with your reviews, thanks! Oh, and OC's are being accepted, get them while their hot and fresh! PM me or write it in your Review for info. on the OC forms! And remember, Poll, Poll, and Poll! That's all! Thanks for the support! Thanks once again!**


	4. Ch2:Bolt and the Litleo

**Hey, guys! Sorry I took a very long time to write this chapter, and the fact that it's much shorter then the rest. But I've been busy all this and last month with Exams and other crazy stuff going on at school, but tomorrow is my last week of Finals and Exams, so I'll be able to write the next chapter extremely quickly! Well, okay, it was school and the fact I had hit major writer's bock over the last few months because my mind has been here and there and everywhere! Well, enough of that, here's the next chapter! Though I have to say I'm not quite as happy with this one as I would like to be, and I will make some changes in the near future, but just bare with it for now!**

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Chapter 2

"IT'S CCCCCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLDDDDD!" The deranged Pokemon yowled as all of the surrounding Pokemon fled and the terrified Shinx dove for cover behind a great oak. As the Pokemon yowled for almost a full ten seconds, the Shinx's mind raced at a thousand miles per hour. While his mind raced for clarity and stability, two thoughts kept coming up as the only solid statements; ' _What's going on, and why is this happening!?_ ' He stayed hidden behind the tree till, finally, the strange brown Pokemon stopped it's insistent yowling.

Once the sound evaporated into the dense forest, the Shinx peered from his hiding place behind the oak. The strange Pokemon, from lack of air, collapsed on its side as the Shinx peeked at it. Worried, the Shinx crept up to it, careful this time not to be too close to its head this time round. ' _It's a...Litleo?_ ' The Shinx thought as he got a better look at the Pokemon, remembering pictures of them from a book back at Mr. Rudolf''s shop.

"Um, are you okay?" He asked cautiously, cocking his head at the fallen fire-type for any signs of a reaction or answer. Getting none, he stepped around so he could look at it better, stepping carefully over its long brown tail. ' _I wonder if it's hurt or sick..._ ' When he got to its front, he bent down a little to look better, still keeping a bit of a distance in case it sprung up again. He was about to take a good look at its face, but something caught his eye. He looked down at the collapsed Pokemon's right paw. on the bottom of its paw where its pad was, a mark was there that wasn't normally found.

' _A birth mark…?_ ' The Shinx thought as he gently shifted the paw to have a better look. The mark was very unique, and was probably the most extraordinary thing the young Shinx had ever seen. The mark was in the shape of a key, but the shape wasn't the only unique thing about it. Its color range was from different shades of bronze, gold, silver, and a dazzling blue that even the sky on the perfect day couldn't compete with, making the mark look more like a painting or a tattoo then a birth mark.

The head of the key was in the shape of what the Shinx thought was an elaborately designed five petaled flower with what appeared to be a tree in its center, but the Shinx could not be sure in the dimming light of the late afternoon. On either side of the head was two pairs of wings, the bigger pair sitting on top of the smaller pair like the wings of a Vivillon. The difference being was that the wings on top were a blazing gold and the smaller pair was silver, with the shape reminding the Shinx of an ancient flying Pokemon from a book of legends he once read. The wings were so detailed that the Shinx wouldn't be that surprised if they suddenly flapped and flew.

The head was covered in elegant swirls and etchings that the Shinx thought he's seen somewhere before, but dismissed the thought after a moment. The tree had small blue gem like patterns mixed in with the miniscule leaves, the blue giving it a fantastical look. The stem of the key had a large gear attached behind it that was as wide as the stem was long. The stem was also covered in small blue vine like tendrils and chains that wrapped around the entire length, starting at a blue gear on the head and ending at the top part of the bit where single delicate gold and silver veined leaf was placed with a small jewel like symbol.

As the Shinx studied the mysterious yet beautiful key mark, he felt it was very similar to something he'd seen before ' _Is it really just a birthmark? I've never seen any that looked like this one before…_ ' but before he had a chance to study it any further...WHAM! ' _Again…?_ ' The Shinx thought as he fell backwards, knocking his head clean into a large root. "Ugh…" He moaned as stars flashed before his eyes. He sat up while rubbing his eyes in a futile attempt to rid himself of the constant swirling lights. "W-what was...T-that for…" He mumbled as he shut his eye, a roaring headache pounding his skull.

"Ugh…" Another moan sounded, this time one that wasn't the Shinx's. The Shinx looked up at the sound. The brown Pokemon was sitting upright, a paw on his head from where he unitentionally head butted the Shinx. The strange Pokemon shook its head, ridding itself of its daze. After it shook itself, the Shinx watched as it shivered, unconsciously wrapping its long brown tail around to help keep warm. When the Pokemon finally looked up, it looked right into the eyes of the approaching Shinx.

"Um, hi," The Shinx said, wondering if the Litleo was alright. He stopped his approach at about ten feet from the other Pokemon, just in case. In case of what, the Shinx didn't know and didn't particularly wanted to find out. The other Pokemon, while the Shinx waited for a response, sat there and stared. The look on the Pokemon's face was a mix between astonishment and just straight confusion. The Shinx, on his part, just observed the Pokemon, and just as he was beginning to think it was probably brain dead, it finally spoke up.

"Hey, what are you doing here? Wait, what's going on? Where am I?" The Pokemon asked more to himself as he stood, looking around at his surroundings, then turned his attention back to the Shinx in front of him. The Shinx stood up, and walked a few paces forward after making sure that the Pokemon was safe to be near. "Um, what are you?" The oblivious Pokemon inquired. The Shinx glared, his anger suddenly flaring.

"Hey, you were the one who tackled me!" He remarked, a bit miffed, his pride that comes in all Shinxes starting to reveal itself. The Fire-type stumbled back, tripping, then fell onto his back. He looked over at the Shinx in utter shock.

"I-I can un-understand you…?" The Litleo stared into the eyes of the now slightly confused Shinx. He then proceeded to turn around to lean onto a tree, muttering words that were too low and jumbled for the Shinx to make out. The Shinx stayed where he was, tilting his head at the baffled and astonished Litleo.

"Yeah, you can understand me, since we're both, you know, Pokemon? You're a really weird Litleo, by the way." The Shinx said, sitting on his haunches, perplexed. The Litleo stopped his muttering, and got up, but still faced away from the Shinx. His shoulders hunched, he turned his head ever so lightly toward the Shinx.

"Wait, what did you say?" He asked, his face obscured in shadow. Electric-type cocked his head at the question, but answered anyways.

"I said you can unders-" The Shinx started again, but was cut off by the Litleo.

"No, not that. What did you say about me?" He persisted, wanting to make sure he heard correctly. He turned his head a little more towards the Electric-type, revealing a little bit of the side of his lion cub-like face. The Shinx sighed in exasperation.

"I said you're a really weird Litleo, okay? Sheesh," The Shinx said, slightly miffed again. At this, the Litleo looked down at his own paws, then sprung up walking in circles, trying to see every angle of himself, including his long swishing tail. While realization dawned on the Litleo's face, Bolt blinked, wondering what was with the crazy Pokemon.

"You know what, I take what I said back. You're really, really weird. My name's Bolt, and yours is…?" He was almost afraid to ask the already determined as a deranged Litleo. The Litleo stopped, then turned to face Bolt with a face that clearly stated one in deep thinking.

"I think my name's...Avery...I think? Yeah, that sounds about right…" His voice trailed off, unsure of it himself. The Shinx just blinked at the Pokemon's answer.

"Wait, so you're name's Avery? HAHAHA! That's a really funny name for a Litleo alright!" Bolt burst out laughing, while Avery blinked, taken aback, wondering why that was so funny. "What, did your parents get you mixed up with a bird Pokemon when you were born? Hahahah! That's hilarious!" Avery, on the other hand, was not as entertained as the wolf-like cub was about his name, opting to wait for the Shinx to calm down. After a few moments, the Electric-type gathered himself. Avery took that moment to reveal something that had hit him while Bolt had his laughing fit.

"By the way, I'm not a Litleo, just so you know." Avery said, a slightly monotonous look crossing his face. The Shinx raised an eyebrow, allowing the Litleo to continue on. "I'm a Human, not a Litleo." Avery finished, straight-faced. Bolt tilted back, astonished.

"You're, a Human? But they're only a myth! And you look like any normal Litleo, though I can't say I've seen any in real life before. If you were once one, do you remember anything from being Human?" He asked, curious though unsure if he should believe the Litleos statement. Avery shut his eyes, a paw on his chin as he tried to remember anything from being once Human. After a few minutes, however, Avery let out an exasperated sigh, shaking his head in an unhappy 'no'. Bolt tilted his head, thinking about the circumstances of the situation.

"Well, do you remember anything before I found you here? Anything at all besides your name?" He asked, wondering if the supposedly Human-turned-Pokemon was just an amnesiac. Avery took a moment again to think deeply, but shook his head once more, a disappointed look crossing his face. Bolt studied the Litleo for a few moments, thinking. Then an idea popped into his head, and he decided to help the lost amnesiac out.

"Hey you don't have anywhere to go, right?" Bolt questioned, casting Avery a look from the corner of his eye. The Litleo looked up, then nodded with a slight yet obvious depression from the fact of being homeless. "Well, how about you join me and make a rescue team?" Bolt said, excitement growing in his voice. The Litleo in turn, however, just gave a confused look at the proposition.

"A, rescue team?" Avery asked at length, unsure of what he meant by that.

"Yeah, a rescue team! It's a team of Pokemon who go exploring many places and help other Pokemon in need. It's a lot of fun, and you can explore where other Pokemon have never been to before! So, how about it, want to team up and become a rescue team?" Bolt stared at Avery with bright eyes, eagerly awaiting his answer, completely forgetting the reason why he asked the Litleo in the first place. Avery, taken surprised by the sudden proposition, took a moment to decide, unclear about what to do.

' _Should I join him?_ ' Avery thought, thinking. He glanced at the Shinx who was patiently waiting, if albeit a bit restless in anticipation about Avery's answer. ' _It's true that I have nowhere to go, but could I afford to join him? I have to find out who I am and why I'm here…_ ' He questioned in his mind, his mind split on joining or not. He glanced at Bolt, his tail swishing in excitement, no doubt thinking about all of the wonderful adventures they could go on. ' _It would also be a lot of fun, truthfully… Well, I have no better options now, do I? Okay, then it's decided!_ ' Avery thought, the Shinxes excitement rubbing off onto the Litleo. He turned toward Bolt, his answer about to escape his lips to the anticipated Shinx.

"Bolt, I would reall-" Was all Avery had time to say before… Rrrrrrrrrrrr… The two completely startled Pokemon jumped at the sound with a sharp intake of breath, spinning around to scan fearfully all through out the trees. They stood, paralyzed, as the ground rumbled with the noise. The bird Pokemon that had perched nearby had taken off, fluttering in panic from the rumble that seemed to be everywhere and nowhere all at once, the ground shaking increasing drastically. But then, just as suddenly as it came, the sound disappeared with the wind, and the ground ceased it's shaking along with the sound. The two stood there, time seeming to have all but slowed. The wind fluttered through the leaves. The clouds floated by, seemingly without a care in the world. Seconds passed, lengthening to minutes.

After a few minutes had gone by, the two's breathing began to slow down along with their heart rate. Bolt, being the one to snap out of it first, carefully started to move towards the Litleo, till…

Rrrrrrrrrrrr…

…

* * *

The next day, somewhere else on the large continent…

"Status report, now!" The voice boomed across the room, anger and frustration laced into it. All those present flinched, and one particularly made a large pause, cautiously approaching the large figure. When the small carrier finally reached the looming figure, whose back was turned to him as it looked out the window, he took a large swallow, swishing his long tail in anxiety. He edged closer, navigating through the messy and unorganized room.

The room was located on one of the most highest bough of the giant tree that served as the organization's base. The room had a view of the land, the view absolutely breath taking. The horizon seemed to stretch on forever, and in the far distance, the sea glittered in all of its majestic glory. The usually clean and very professional room had turned into a bustling jungle of activity since the meteorite incident a few days before. The flurry of activity, however, had come to a sudden stop when the large figure had made its entrance, annoyed with the little progress the group had made. The message carrier, however, ignored the mess and the view, focusing on getting to the figure, definitely not wanting to make it any more angry then it was. He stopped when he got what he felt to be a close distance.

"Um," he hesitated, shaking ever so slightly. When the larger figure just whipped its tail in response, the much smaller carrier swallowed again in response. "Um, th-this is w-what you, ah, a-asked f-for…" His voice trailing off as the clearly superior figure slowly turned towards the cowering purple Pokemon. The towering Pokemon leaned down, staring at the shivering Aipom. After a moment, the large figure started to slowly reach out a hand.

Absolutely terrified, the message carrier shut his eyes, waiting for the blow. When it didn't come, he opened his eyes to see a hand opened, waiting. Realizing what it wanted, the carrier started to place the report into the open hand of the large Pokemon, if albeit a bit nerve racked and shaky. But as the report touched the Pokemons rough skin, the figure snatched it, irritated at the slow going. The Aipom made a small 'eep' at the sudden action, quickly retreating. The larger figure, however, ignored the smaller Pokemon, focusing on the file it held.

The file itself was a large report tied together in a string binding. The paper was a special type of paper, known to Humans as Stone Paper, created as a way to protect the trees that the Pokemon depended on so much. The Pokemon skillfully flipped through the pages, scanning them till it came upon a sheet of paper with an almost photo like picture created by a Smeargle attached to it with a small amount of sticky goo. _Probably the Grimer team again_ , The Pokemon thought for a fleeting second, focusing on the actual report again.

What had caught the Pokemon's attention on the page despite it looking much like the other reports of the incident was because of one thing. As the Pokemon stared at the page, a low growl began to rumble from deep within its throat, frightening all of the Pokemon once again. This time, however, the Pokemon noticed the change the taller figures normal annoyance, beginning to back away as fight or flight. The figure swiftly turned towards the Pokemon, causing all of them to freeze in their tracks. It looked at all of them for a second, scanning each of the fear and confused faces of all of the Pokemon. Then it opened its mouth, letting out a roar that could rival that of a male adult Pyroar.

"GET ME REN, NOW!" It roared at all of the Pokemon, causing them to rush out, trying to get their new task done as quickly as possible. The Pokemon huffed, then turned back to the window, eyes shifting to the wooded area to the right. It glanced again at the report, then growled once as it through the stack of stone paper onto the ground, its tail swishing in frustration and slight anxiety. The picture fell out of the file, fluttering to land near the Pokemon's foot. The picture showed a Bidoof and Bibarel dam that had been broken from a large earthquake, the river broken through, and the tons of water flowing rapidly despite the effort of the teams of Pokemon that were trying to re-block it, the land swept up in the turbulent water.

* * *

 **Okay, and that's it! Sorry it was short with only 3,000 words, but I just couldn't end it with what happens next with Bolt and Avery, but I ended up giving it away anyways with the whole office thing, didn't I? But, I bet you can't guess what Pokemon the mysterious tall figure is! Try to guess, and I'll reveal it in the coming chapters! Thanks for all of you who have like and reviewed my stories! For a heads up, in the next chapter a new OC one of the reviewers had posted will be coming up! Until then, thanks and remember to Poll, Review, and Like!**


	5. Ch3:Dreams of Adventure

**Well. It's been a while since I played with this story. Okay, so basically, I FINALLY decided with 'heck with it', and made one monster sized chapter. I added a LOT of extra stuff and redid the entire thing, so there's that. And, to be honest, I actually like what I did here WAY better than before, so, with that, I hope you enjoy the newly redid and added on Chapter 3!**

* * *

"Wha-" That was all the Shinx could say before the ground rumbled again, a tremor fierce enough to rival that of a herd of Camerupt all using the move Magnitude that have the strength of Magnitude 10. The duo, having been awakened from their state of fear and shock, ran. As they ran, they passed Pokemon of all shapes and sizes, scrambling as the tremor seemed to grow impossibly stronger.

Fearful, they let instinct take over, their minds jumbled messes as they raced through the woods. All around, the inhabitants of the forest also ran or flew, fear and adrenaline coursing through their bodies, pushing them on.

'Why is this happening?!' Avery shut his eyes, the day's events weighing down on him as he followed Bolt through the trembling woods. With his eyes closed, the small brown cub tripped on a branch that was waiting under some fallen leaves, and fell to the ground. He got up, slightly grimacing as he put weight on his left front paw, but sucked in his breath and limped after the diminishing image of Bolt's whipping tail.

As the quake continued, many of the old trees got upturned and fell down all around the panicking Pokemon. They pushed on, jumping over and running under fallen branches and debris. As they were thinking they might not be able to make it, Bolt spotted a clear field up ahead. He breathed in, pushing his small body to the limit, only being able to hope that the Litleo was still following him.

But, as fate would have it, an old uprooted tree started to fall right on the injured Litleo's path. The Maple's ancient wood creaked as it fell down, descending upon the unaware Litleo who struggled to stay upright while padding along. All the other Pokemon around him, however, panicked at the sight of the falling tree and ran in every direction at the sight of the falling giant.

Bolt noticed as well, and skidded to a stop, turning back to the Litleo. Bolt, fear gripping his throat at the sight of the tree falling right on top of his new friend, tried to shout a warning at the Fire-type, but the rumbling and crashing of the mighty trees drowned out his voice, falling on deaf ears. He cursed a word he learned from listening to when he was angry under his breath, then charged back to his friend, racking his mind for any idea that might save Avery.

The Litleo at the time, however, did manage to notice Bolt running back toward him. 'What's wrong? Beside the tremor, is there something else?' He tilted his head, slowing down but still keeping up at an amble. Survival instincts kicking in, he unconsciously looked up. At the sight of the tree, the Litleo froze in fear. At this, the world around him seemed to slow down, time coming to almost a complete stop as his mind raced with thoughts of anything and everything.

With time to seemingly have almost stopped while moving incredibly fast all at the same time, the Litleo's senses seem to double. Barely aware, he noticed the running blue and black cat-like figure of Bolt racing toward him out of the corner of his left eye, his tail beginning to glow silver, but Avery thought nothing of it. He also saw something silver flash from his right, but didn't even think to dwell on it. His eyes focused on the tree, slowly yet quickly getting closer.

Entranced by the falling tree, Avery seemed to notice every detail about the tree. The way the tree had a slight curve to it, the small disturbed nest on one of the branches with a single beautiful black tipped, red feather. Watching in a daze, he also happen to notice the buds as the tree fell closer. Somewhere in the back of his mind a single thought floated to the surface in the turmoil sea of thoughts. 'Huh, I guess it's almost spring…' But that's all he got to notice when an enormous pain exploded from his right side, heat searing throughout his body, and then the world went completely dark.

…

…

… "-ello...?" …

…

… "H-hello?"...

…

… "Um, hello? Anybody there?" …

…

Still not getting an answer, Avery looked around. From what little he could see, he was sitting in the middle of a wide, dark room. Moonlight filtered in the only small windows high above. He looked around. The ground was made of marble so well preserved, it seemed to glow in the moonlight. The room he was in was very wide and large, the dark masking the exact length as his eye strained in the dark. Arches on his right and left ran all along the room, blurring with the void to make it impossible to tell how long. He looked to his right, squinting into the arch directly in his line of sight. He sighed and shook his head, giving up as the night guarded whatever lay beyond the arch.

He looked up and squinted, trying to make out the barely saw the chandeliers hanging impossibly high overhead, the ceiling nothing more than a fuzzy outline against the gloom. The ceiling, though what little he could see of it, was spanned across in several arch like designs, simple yet the Litleo knew somehow that the person who designed the room took a very long time to make it into the perfect arch shape.

'Gothic architecture', Avery thought to himself, recognizing the style as he walked around. He stopped in his tracks, mind racing at the two words. 'How do I know that?' He thought, frowning as he tried to remember. The memory, however, was only black and white fuzz in his subconscious, like that on a broken TV. He huffed, slightly disappointed that he couldn't remember.

Shaking his head once more to not dwell on his amnesiac memory, he turned his attention to the very front of the room. The front of the massive room was completely dominated by a platform, wide yet stout steps leading up to them. On top of the platform was a single pedestal with an unknown object on top of it. Curious, Avery walked closer to take a better look, his small stature making it impossible to tell what the object was from sitting on the floor. He noticed that one of the few beams of moonlight seem to fall perfectly onto the pedestal itself. He got up and began walking toward the front, noticing that his back leg no longer hurt.

As Avery slowly approached the stage like platform, he silently cursed his short legs in his body, awkwardly moving up one step at a time. He carefully maneuvered his legs, one at a time, using his claws to find what little purchase there was as he made his way ever so slowly. Though there were only five steps, Avery was huffing by the time he made it to the top of the platform.

Now at the bottom of the pedestal, Avery walked around it, taking in all of the details, his feline instincts making him sniff it a bit. The pedestal itself wasn't that tall, only about four or five feet in height. The pedestal was a simple column design, the vertical lines running down the entire length from the square top to the square bottom. The white marble of the pedestal seemed to glow in the moonlight, giving it a more fantastical look then then then entire scenario already was playing out to be.

He was about to find something to stand on to reach the top when something caught the Litleo's eye. He took a closer look. The base of the pedestal appeared to be in a bluish glow, the vine like design running along the bottom pulsing with it like a blood vein. He watched as the vines seem to move on their own, slithering around the base like a swarm of Ekans, Sevipers, and other snake-like Pokemon, snaking and overlapping each other. He stared at the vines, entranced, till he started to notice an eerie and menacing presence behind him…

He turned sharply around, instincts having his claws out and at the ready, his teeth bared and at the ready for a fight. But, when he turned around, he was completely surprised when he found no one there. His blood pumping with adrenaline, he flittingly looked all around, trying to find the point of his unease. But after a moment of nothing happening, the menacing aura had all but disappeared, leaving him only a sense of unease in its wake.

Keeping an eye on his surroundings and checking behind him, Avery slowly payed his attention back to the pedestal. Determined not to get stuck in the entrancing shifting and glow of the vines, he kept his eyes up to the top of the pedestal where the strange object he saw was. He looked around, trying to find something to jump on. Not finding anything in the void of the dark castle like room, he looked back at the pedestal. He tilted his head, thinking of a way up. 'How do I get up there…' Then it struck him when his back foot stepped on his tail. 'That's it!' He looked back at the pedestal, flexing and stretching his muscles as he prepared to do something his human form could never do. 'Here goes nothing...' He thought before he charged at the pedestal, gaining momentum. When he was a few feet from the pedestal, he put all of his strength into his back legs and jumped, propelling himself up and towards the pedestal.

'Wah-!' He yelled in his mind as he almost soared right over the flat top of the pedestal. Using his sharp claws, he scraped the top, finding purchase at the very end. The Fire-types body hanging off of the smooth top with only his right front paw holding him up by his claws, he hung there for a few seconds in silence as the sound of his claws echoed in the hollow silence of the cavern of a room. Shaking off his nerves, the Litleo carefully put his other paw onto the top to keep from falling onto the cold marble floor. Bracing himself, he began to heave up and over the edge, cursing himself silently all the way for being so out of shape. He huffed and took another deep breath, swinging his right dominant back leg up and over the edge of the pedestal. Once he finally got his body onto the top of the flat, cold surface of the pedestal, he rolled onto his back, lying still for a few seconds as he caught his breath.

'Ugh...I'm so not made for this type of strenuous work', He thought as he laid there. After a few deep breaths, he shook his head, and rolled onto his side again. Avery then used both of his forearms to push himself up, heaving all the way. Once his body stopped swaying and shaking from the effort, he finally turned his attention to the purpose of getting to the top of the pedestal after taking a deep breath.

Avery Looked on in amazement at the sight of the object. 'It's a dodecahedron, I think', he thought to himself as he tilted his head, studying the thing. The shape seemed to be made of an ancient petrified wood, pictures and symbols marked onto the surface, and about a foot and half in diameter. The normal pentagonal shapes were inscribed with strange geometric symbols and pictograms. The pictures each were written in some strange alien language, completely unknown to the awed Human-turned-Pokemon, but he knew instinctively that it was a very old and ancient language, one that might have been written thousands of years before. As he went around the 3D geometric shape, he began to notice a pattern. Each pentagon's 5 corners were marked with a symbol that was unique to the face, and the ancient language surrounded a large picture in the middle of the shape that dominated the face.

One side, he noticed, had a strange picture resembling a giant monstrous lizard like thing, seeming to tear the world apart with a huge earthquake, the symbols on the five points of the picture's pentagon were in a shape almost resembling a flame as words spread out in a ring around the main picture. He shuddered at the sight, an uneasy feeling creeping up on him. Getting that feeling of being watched again, he spun around, but once again there was nothing there. '...' he kept an eye on the surrounding area while he turned his attention back to the pentagons.

Walking around the dodecahedron again, he stopped in front of another pentagon, this one different from the other he observed, but he still felt a shiver down his spine at the sight of it. This one had a picture dominating the middle of a giant bird, but the bird's wing were glowing as a light beamed from them, destroying everything that touched the light. the tips of the pentagon for this one were small symbols, these ones of two pointed thin diamonds crossed over each other, a small circle in the middle at the point where they cross. Avery, feeling a bit queasy now, turned his attention to the ring of words circling the picture. Squinting, he tried to translate there meaning, but sighed knowing it was impossible to try to read something he never heard of before.

But, as he stared at the object, a new feeling began to replace the uneasiness gripping his stomach. He now looked on in a new wonder, keeping a foot away, till curiosity crept over the feline like Pokemon. He took a few steps close to the brown wooden object, taking a few cautionary sniffs. 'It doesn't smell or seem dangerous, just more like… something ancient...' As he stared at it, an overwhelming urge to touch it came over him. As the feeling took over mixed with his own curiosity, he slowly reached out a paw warily, almost touching it…

"...-very!" He froze, his paw barely a hairs breadth away from the ancient object.

'...Huh?...'

"...Avery!..."

'...what is…?'

"Avery! Wake up!"

'...Is that...Bolt…?'

"Avery! You must wake up!"

…'Why is he calling me? I'm clearly awake...I think.… Wait, what's that?...AH!' Avery yelled in his mind as a bright flash pulsed for a second. In a haze, images passed through the Litleo's mind, images of the day's events and scenes Avery didn't recognize, many places and people, sounds and scents and sights that bombarded the Pokemon, some he knew from earlier that day, some he only knew in his dreams and his wavering memory, but none of the flashes lasted for more than a fleeting moment. It all happened in single second, but felt for an eternity for the helpless and confused Human-turned-Litleo, then the light pulsed one more time before everything went dark, leaving but one voice that sounded in his overflowed mind.

"You're not ready for this burden yet...Rest, and come back strong...When the dusk of this age finally comes…"

* * *

…"-p..."

'...'

"-ake…-p..."

' _... Huh?...'_

"-ake up..."

 _'…I know that voice... Who is it?...'_

"Wake up…"

 _'Wake up?... But I'm still tired... Need more sleep...'_

"What do we do? He won't wake up!"

"I've got an idea! How about I use Ember to wake him up since he is a Fire-type, after all!"

"Huh? Wait, Nancy, don't-"

"Aaaaaggghhhh!" Avery jumped up as his body was singed with small flames, though they surprisingly hurt less then he would have expected it to. He sat on his haunches, a paw on the fur of his slightly seared stomach.

"Oops? Sorry about that, " A shy and embarrassed foreign voice said from Avery's left, but embarrassment laced into it.

"Oh-Ho, the Liteling's awaked! Good work, Nancy!" A sarcastic un-named voice said from somewhere to the Litleo's right.

"Oh, but now look! The new bed is completely destroyed! It's all ash! I spent a lot of time making that, you know." A voice said from somewhere in front of the dual-type, this one a lot more familiar than the other two. Trying to look as non-dangerous as possible, Avery lifted his head just enough to see the occupants of the room itself, particularly possible escape routes if things get messy. As he lifted his eyes to peer around, he notice a sharp pain in his side, causing him to make a very obvious flinch.

"Whoa there, Avery! You're still very injured, you know that? Now lay on your stomach so that the bandages won't be too messed up." The familiar voice told him. Because he was indeed injured, he did as he told while looking up at the one who was talking. His heart lept with joy at the sight of the Shinx.

"Bolt! Where am I? What's going on? Who're they?" Avery asked the Shinx as questions spilled out of him. As he lay on his stomach carefully, he felt another pang of pain coarse through his body from his injured side. Bolt got up, walking around to the side of the bed, and plopping down. He opened his mouth to speak when another older and gruffer voice cut him to it from the other side of the room.

"Aye, ye's in me 'shop, Liteling." Avery looked to his right to see an old Slowking sitting in a wood chair in the corner of the room next to a small desk. Avery tilted his head, and opened his mouth to ask another series of questions when the Slowking held up a paw, cutting him short. "Aye, Aye's know what's ye's 'bout t'ah ask, so Aye'll's answer you's now. Me's name is Marshal Randolph, and Aye'm's this here's 'shops owner, ye see? And's ye's friend there, the other 'Ling, works for me's 'shop some day's, so he's like a grand pup's to me." Mr. Randolph finished explaining in his gruff accent as he got up, walking over to a basket and began rummaging through it. Bolt picked up where the Slowking ended , catching Avery's attention once more.

"You see, since I was little, Mr. Randolf has been taking care of me, so I work for him." He explained in layman's terms. The Shinx then turned to the Pokemon next to him, intending to introduce her to the Litleo.

She was the most unusual Pokemon he's ever seen. She was a fox-like Pokemon, but she had a very unusual coat pattern. Instead of orange-ish color from Avery's memory of foxes(' How do I know that? Never mind...'), Her coat was a stunning silver with white around her muzzle with splashes of red. She also had toughs of striking red coming from her tall ears and some at the tip of her tail. But her most striking feature were her eyes. They were a bright apple red that shined with intelligence and a bit of mischief, but also seemed kind. They locked eyes, but her eyes were so intense and yet kind at the same time, that Avery felt more then a little intimidated and naked, and he looked away back at Bolt. The Fennekin also looked back to Bolt, but flashed a peek at Avery one last time before returning her full attention.

"This is Nancy," Bolt began once he regained the Litleo's attention. He turned to the vixen, who nodded her silver head, a small smile starting to form. "She's a special Fennekin, and she's the one who saved you from the falling tree! Basically, you owe her your life," He explained, the last sentence causing her to blush, which showed very clearly on her cloudy grey face, waving her hands.

"That's not really true! I just happened to be there, so, I decided to help since he was clearly in trouble," She explained, being a bit defensive for not wanting the Litleo to owe his life to her. "I'm just glad that you're okay! I didn't think I made it in time," She said, smiling cheerfully down at the wounded dual type.

"What did happen, anyways?" The Litleo asked, rubbing his hurt side wincing from the pain. Bolt stepped closer to the mostly ash grass bed as he started to explain.

"When the tree fell, you seemed to have froze at the spot, and I seriously thought you were a goner! I ran to try and cut the tree with Iron Tail, but I wouldn't have made it in time. That's when out of nowhere, Nancy jumps out and rammed into you with all her might, sending you flying right into me! Luckily I put enough force into my hind legs to keep you from causing both us to go flying, but you were already out like a light by that point. It was only then I looked up and saw that Nancy was torching the tree to ashes using Heat Wave. Heat Wave! I've never seen a move more powerful from someone that only recently had their tenth birthday." He said, patting the silver Fennekin's back. Up until now, Avery had been listening intently, but the last part made him furrow his brows a bit.

"Wait, you're only ten? I thought you were way older then that, like, at least my age!" Avery said in a clearly astonished voice. The Fennekin tilted her head in confusion while Bolt thought about this. That was when it clicked in the fox-like Pokemon's head, causing her to smile and giggle, getting a look at her from the wounded Litleo.

"No, no, you misunderstand! I remember Bolt telling me you lost your memory, but I forgot about that. Because we're all born at level one, whenever we level up we call it our birthdays! I'm actually fifteen years old, but I only had my tenth birthday recently since I leveled up. I don't get around much, so I really don't get much opportunities to have a birthday. I want to level up enough to evolve!" She exclaimed, but then sighed a sad sigh. "Sadly, though, for all pre-evolved forms, no one can evolve anymore, even when they meet the right requirements." She explained, turning to Bolt. Bolt picked up where she left.

"Yeah, like when us Shinx's reach our fifteenth birthday, we're allowed to evolve then, but because ever since a few years back, everyone stopped evolving for some reason. I had my fifteenth birthday finally a few months ago, but I couldn't evolve even then. It really is a mystery why it stopped." He said, also sighing a sad sigh. Avery felt bad for them, since it's clear they would love to evolve though they can't. He was just about to open his muzzle to say something to them when a raspy voice boomed from the other side of the room.

"Aye, and that's why Liteling wants to be 'Rescuer so bad, ain't it? To find the reason why evolvin' stopped! Aye, this maybe real noble, but it's a hard tough world's out there, so Aye's always says ye's have t'be's careful, and look what happen' when ye's weren't? Ye's were 'lmost killed! Aye, this is just what Aye's said's would's happen, and it's happen'd. So Aye'll's say's it once more; Ye's need t'be more careful!" Mr. Randolph admonished the trio, pointing to each of them, causing all of them to feel a bit ashamed. It was at this time that the door at the front of the tree shop was knocked on thrice. Everyone turned their heads to the door at the sound, instinct kicking in.

"Aye, seems there's some Liteling knocking on me's door." He told them before getting up and hollering towards the door. "Yes, yes! Aye'm's a'comin'!" The old Slowking hobbled towards the door, his strange walking stick at hand.

When he reached the door, he opened it only a bit to talk to the awaiting Pokemon. He then turned towards the three and made a look that clearly said wait there, then turned back to the unseen Pokemon. The other three young Pokemon, who's curiosity won against the fear of consequences, decided to listen in on what the shopkeeper and the other Pokemon were talking about. They slowly sneaked up and around one of the many shelves, Bolt and Nancy helping Avery since his leg was still wounded. When they finally reached around the shelf to the end, they hid behind it, peeking only slightly out to try and hear what they're saying, the Slowking blocking the other Pokemon from their view.

"What are they saying?" Bolt asked to no one in particular, not being able to make out the words. Avery strained his ears, closing his eyes to try and listen better, but the end of the shelf was too far away to hear any individual words, especially with Mr. Randolf's strange slurring of words. Giving up, he sighed and shook his head back at the Shinx. They then turned to Nancy, who was quiet the whole time, listening intently. They were about to ask when she simply did a 'shush' sound, making them keep their mouths shut. After a while of waiting and trying to make out the Pokemon and conversation to no avail, the two males sighed and sat, defeated. Nancy's ears twitched, and then she nodded before turning back to the two expecting Pokemon.

"Okay, I didn't make out all of it, but I think I figured out the gist of it," She whispered to the two. They nodded for her to go on. "Basically, it's like this. Mr. Randolf has something important that someone's asked him to keep for a very long time, and they're wanting it back. The thing is, Mr. Randolf seems to have lost the key to what ever it is in a place called Deserted Quarry, and it seems that whatever it is is very important, so they need that key really badly! That's about all I could make out." She finished explaining.

Her two fellow conspirators thought about this, thinking. Then they looked at each other, both knowing exactly what the other is thinking. They smiled at each other before turning to Nancy, who smiled to show she felt the same way. They then nodded and headed back to the little hole that was the room they were in before, Avery wobbling slightly from his wound. Bolt then turned to the left, motioning the others to follow. He then led them to the back door which looked much similar to the front, and carefully opened it enough to let the other two walk out, Nancy helping Avery.

Once they were all outside, Bolt then closed the door as slowly and quietly as breathed a sigh of relief once they were all out and the door was closed, and looked up at the sky peeking through the clouds. From his vantage point the sky was a fresh blue with a tinge of red from the last sign of dawn starting to fade, the morning fresh and new.

"That was really close! I'm glad we didn't get caught." He said, the other two agreeing. "Now, about the Deserted Quarry, how do we get there?" They all stopped, realizing they had no idea how to get where they needed to go. After a moment, Nancy's face lit up.

"How about we go to the Pelipper's Office in town? We can ask them where to find the Deserted Quarry!" She told them excitedly as they walked down a trail away from the old Slowking's shop. Bolt also beamed at the thought.

What's Pelipper's Office?" Avery asked, swiveling his head as glanced at both of them in turn.

"That's a great idea, Nancy!" Bolt told her excitedly before he turned to the Litleo. "Pelipper's Office is where all the letters go to be delivered by the Pellipers and their many staff members everywhere. There's a Pelliper's Office in every town. Rescue Teams use it because when a Pokemon is in trouble, they'll send out letters for help. But, wait," he said, frowning as he thought. Nancy and Avery both glanced confused looks at him. "Aren't you supposed to be a Rescuer to go to Pelipper's Office?" He said, frowning at them. Now it was Nancy's turn to frown.

"That's true...Hmm..." she said as they continued to slowly walk along in the morning light. Avery frowned as he thought of ways to fix this dilemma. Then, like a lightbulb that lit up, he excitedly ran bound in front of the two, wincing only slightly.

"How about we just say we're going there to pick up some letters, and that we need to got to Deserted Quarry to give something to a friend that works there that's in a Rescue Team!" He told them with enthusiasm at his plan. They both stopped, thinking. The Shinx and Fennekin then both glanced at each other, smiles on their faces.

"That's a great plan, Avery!" Nancy told him, her fluffy tail wagging slightly in her joy. Bolt also smiled with joy, but then frowned again.

"But, wait. Avery, we'll need proof, right? They'll ask which rescue team, and we'll be suspected if we can't give them an answer," the Shinx told them. They both paused their enthusiasm as they considered this.

"Well," Avery said at length, "do you any Rescue Teams?" He asked them both. Bolt though hard, then remembered a few days ago when he had that interesting experience with a certain Rescue Team.

"I met Team Apex a few days ago," Bolt told them, still remembering the encounter. Both the Litleo and Fennekin looked up at him, faces of surprise and shock.

"You met Team Apex?" Nancy asked excitedly. Bolt blinked in surprise.

"Well, yeah. Why?" He asked, wondering why she was so excited about.

"Because Team Apex is one of the most top Rescue Team's in the Guild Winterland! They're pretty famous here in Sun-Dew Forest," she explained as they walked on in the early morning's light

"Really? Are they that famous?" Avery piped up as he carefully padded along between them.

"Yeah! Though their newest member, which I heard was a Flaffy, is super perky, though I'm not sure if that's true or not. But the other members, a Laron and a Gabite, are both very powerful, though it seems the Gabite is pretty temperamental." Bolt looked sideways. _You can say that again,_ he thought. Nancy continued on.

"Well, anyways, that's what they say, though I can't say for myself since I never met them before personally," she finished as their small path met a large path through the trees, clearly worn down from years of use. Bolt led them left, away from the old Slowking's Shop towards the village.

"The Peliper's are pretty easy going, and are very friendly, but they take their job pretty seriously, so it's normally hard to get information from them." The Shinx led them on, glancing back at both of them.

"Unless, Avery's plan works," Nancy bound ahead, turning around while giving them a smile. Avery smiled too, elbowing the slightly stressed Shinx. He looked at both of them, and couldn't help but smiling as well.

"Because it will work, what will we do when get to the Abandoned Quarry?" Avery asked both of them, casually emphasizing 'will'.

"Hmm, I don't know much, but from what I heard, the Abandoned Quarry is a big mining area which hasn't been used in a long time. We'll have to be extra careful; wild Pokemon which are territorial might have inhabited it, along with falling loose rocks," Nancy told them both. The Shinx and Litleo both nodded.

While they talked, they began to enter the town part of Sun-Dew Forest. All around them, many different types of Pokemon walked, flew or climbed by, with almost all the trees being inhabited. Avery watched in wonder as an Emolga glided from a tall tree on the right side of the path to another on the left side, landing on a hanging porch far above and opening a small door into the tree. The trees had multiple doors and windows spanning the lengths of the tree in all shapes and sizes.

Colorful banners hang from the boughs of trees written in an unknown language hung from the boughs, though Avery found happily surprised that he could read the strange markings perfectly. The amount of color and designs increased along with the number of Pokemon till the trio reached what appeared to be the town square. They all walked underneath an arch of two twisted tree, the word ' WELCOME TRAVELERS' written across in the strange language, Avery staring at how high it was as Pokemon walked by them, hurrying to get to where they needed to be.

Here, it really hit the Litleo that he was in a different world then his. Flags hang in strings across the trees, and every tree was covered in unique designs in the ancient wood as Pokemon hustled about. The banners that Avery saw earlier were now on every tree, the light filtering through them to create rainbow pools on the ground below, making the scene all the more surreal like.

Shops were everywhere, mostly on th he ground floor but some were up in the trees, using simple pulley systems to carefully bring goods up and down the trees, though some just flew. The shops had many different things to sell, reminding Avery of an open market. Some shops had their things in makeshift stands in front of their respective trees, while others had huge windows, displaying their goods. All of the shops had the colorful banners hanging, and on closer inspection the Litleo surprisingly found that they were all handmade.

As they continued on through the very busy square, Nancy noticed Avery's astonished look as he marveled at everything that was going on.

"You never seen this, right? Then, welcome to Treetop Village," she said pleasantly, stopping them in the middle for the square.

Avery looked all around, and started notice things about the many Pokemon coming and going. They all had many different accessories, from necklaces to different carry bags. A female Butterfree fluttered by overhead, beautiful long feathers tied to the bas of her antenna. A Wurmple and a Caterpie both talked to each other, each wearing different colored bands on their tails. All of them wore something different and unique, but Avery started to notice something similar.

"Hey, why do many of them wear similar things? Are they the craze around here, or...?" Avery asked them as Nancy lead them toward a store.

"A craze? You mean popular? Kind of. Many of them are popular fashion wear, though actually they are all symbols." Bolt explained as they neared a store that sold many of the different accessories. Nancy walked up to the wood door, and knocked three times. After a few moments, a bell that hang above the door chimed, and the Fennekin stepped inside, the others close behind.

Inside, the setup was very different from Randolph's Shop. The shelves of this shop were neat and straight, adorned with feathers and many other bright accessories. The counter was manned by a Kecleon, who wiped it with careful deliberance. On the ceiling, many multi colored bulbous paper lanterns hung, and Avery watched as a Charmander floated and softly lit them with a small breath of fire before hanging them back up, then he was carefully brought down again with the help of a Kirlia using Psychic.

"Thanks, Melody! Your a lot of help," the young Charmander told her. She smiled.

"It's nothing at all, Flame. But next time, you should ask Mr. Kecleon to use the ladder," she told him jokingly, kindness in her voice. She turned to the Kecleon who nodded with a smile at her as she walked to the door. She stopped when she noticed the three coming in.

"Hello, almost didn't see you there," she greeted, shyly with good humor in her voice, her green hair covering her eyes. Bolt and Avery both nodded in greeting as they moved, letting her go by.

"She seems nice," Avery said to no one in particular.

"Ah, you mean Melody? She's the leader of Team Aurora, and, uh," The Kelceon scratched his head, unsure of how to describe it. "Don't go telling this around, but she's actually is blind, but that sure doesn't stop her!" He laughed heartily, all in good humour. They all made an astonished face.

"She's blind? She doesn't seem like that at all! That's really incredible," Bolt said, eyes wide in admiration.

"She's part of a Rescue Team?" Avery asked, surprised someone the same age as them was already in a team, though he then admonished himself when he though of his and Bolt's situation.

"Nope, she's the leader! And she's extremely powerful, and really kind," the Charmander told them as he swept with a handmade dried grass broom. He glanced at the closed door with eyes full of admiration.

"Yeah, but she's in need of another team member, as her previous partner left," the store owner sighed. This came as a shock to Avery.

"Her partner just upped and left her?" He asked, shocked anyone would do such a thing. _Even I'll tell Bolt and all when I leave to go back to my own word, though I do feel a little sad about that..._ He inwardly thought.

"I wouldn't say that, but Eva, Melody's former partner, is very...er, how do I put this..." he said, looking away as he rubbed his.

"She's very selfish and mean," the young Charmander finished, cutting the Kecleon off.

"Now Marak, what have I told you about saying unnecessary things?" The Kecleon admonished. The Fire Type looked very embarrassed as he answered meekly.

"That even though someone may do something bad, if I do it then I'm the same as them..." he struggled to remember as he held his broom with both his clawed hands. The Shop Owner nodded.

"Precisely. Now, you can go organize the storage room if you have time to say such things before the most busy time of the day comes," he said as he dismissed the young Charmander. Marak then quickly scuttled away in retreat behind the counter to a door that said 'Staff Only' in the strange written language of Pokemon. The Kecleon sighed before turning his attention back to the awaiting trio.

"Sorry about that. Anyways, here's the thing," he began, leaning on the counter as he looked at them. "There are many different types of Pokemon in the world, and each is different. Some may be born leaders, and others may work better alone. Some are very good artists, while others are more suited for being teachers are professors. It depends on the Pokemon. For example, Melody is a very good Rescuer, but Eva just isn't suited for it, so she changed her job. That's just how things are, some Pokemon are just born for some things while other Pokemon are born for other things," he finished as he wiped the last corner of his now shiny counter.

Avery nodded in understanding, but he just couldn't shake off his bad feelings. _Still, just because you may not be suited for something doesn't mean you can't try it out with all you got and just quite half way through._ As Nancy walked to the back of the store where many of the feather accessories were, Bolt showed him some unusual pendants sitting on a shelf.

"These are Starcoins," he told the Litleo. They were very strange but amazing objects. They came in many shapes and sizes, and many designs and color patterns. The only thing in common with them all is that on each a symbol was found, though each seemed unique. One of the pendants was in the shape of a diamond and gleaned red with yellow swirls, and in the bottom corner a purple symbol that looked very much like an open flower found in tropical forests to the Litleo. Another was in an unusual shape which resembled a brown piece of bark with a dark blue symbol of what looked like clouds in the center surrounded by tan colored swirls. Avery marveled at the strange objects before him as Bolt continued on.

"Honestly, I'm not sure what exactly they do, but each one is supposed to represent something. Like," he paused glancing at them till his eyes landed on a particularly bright pendant. He moved it with his paws to allow Avery to get a better view of it. The pendant was in a strange shape and was a shining silver. It was a perfect five pointed star was cut in half in the middle horizontally, and dual streamers hang symmetrically from the ends of each of the side points. The symbol, which was a bright yellow, looked like a cross between a shooting star and a crescent moon.

"This is Wishing Coin," Bolt continued as the Litleo continued to examine it. "Wishing Coins, though each one is a little different, all are worn when you have a strong wish you want to make come true. Though really it's a popular legend, each Starcoin has special attributes and are very popular." He finished as he pushed it back into place. He then continued on to another section of the shop, Avery following before glancing once more at the strange pendants.

They made their way to the back of the shop, with Bolt pointing out many of the different types of items that Pokemon wore for either fashion purposes, charms, or most of the time, both. When they reached the last line of shelves which was full of the decorative feathers, they found Nancy chatting with another Pokemon. When she noticed the two, she nodded her head shyly goodbye before turning to them, the other Pokemon which Bolt told Avery was one known as a Chikorita walked back to the front of the store.

"Hey, guys! What do you think?" She asked playfully, tilting her silver head sideways, revealing two feathers that were a fiery red with a black tip attached to her ear. Attached to the ends of the feathers was a piece of brown dyed yarn, with a red bead attached to the tied end. The red of the feathers were very striking, and accented the Fennekin's red highlights.

"It suits you," Bolt said approvingly. Avery also nodded in agreement. _It does suit her greatly, especially with her eyes,_ he thought with pride for his new friend. Nancy smiled happily, and carefully used her paw to pull it off her ear, then replaced it back to its rightful spot on the shelf. She talked to them as they made their way out of the shop, thanking the Kecleon as they entered back onto the paths that lead through the town. As they walked along, they all talked excitedly until Avery's stomach growled loudly, causing the others to laugh.

"Come on, how about some breakfast?" Nancy said, giggling slightly at the red faced Litleo. Avery grumbled something intangible, nodding his head. "Well, come on! Your stomach won't feed itself, you know," she said happily running ahead.

"Last one there is a rotten berry!" Bolt told Avery as he sprang ahead, joining in the fun. Avery playfully glared at the two, before chasing after them, careful when stepping on his still slightly hurt paw.

"Says you two! I refuse to lose!" He declared, the others laughing as he pounced after them.

* * *

As the little threesome head out on their first adventure, in another part of the vast Pokemon world...

The wind blew as the night had just taken hold, the temperature dropping rapidly in the quiet desert landscape. As the few clouds that were present rolled by, all the desert dwelling Pokemon were fast asleep beneath the silver crescent of the moon. The sand dunes, ever shifting and changing, grew larger with every mile deeper into the landscape, till they were as tall as miniature mountains. In the distance, when at the center of the vast sea of sand, the last glow of the sunset lighted up the mountains far, far away. As night finally settles, the stars glow brightly as they danced across the sky, sometimes in long lines, and others taking on a multitude of shapes, sizes and colors. All was peaceful and quiet on the ever silent sea of sand. Except for two shadowy figures.

Though the dark and shifting sands masked their present as they ran swiftly and expertly across the desert, the starlight betrayed their presence to those who payed careful attention, which was no one in the late of night. The figures ran across the top of the dunes with such ease, and with their cloaks billowing, they were as phantoms drifting through an ancient forest. The void seemed to brace them as they went, swallowing them up with only the stars to show they were there. As time went on, the figures slowly came to a halt, the leader of the duo searching about for what it knows is there, if only it could find it. Being the taller one, signaled to it's companion with a simple nod, or just a bob with it's cloak covering its head and hiding its face, then faded as it ran in the dunes shadow till it reached the very top of the highest dune in its immediate area as its partner went off and vanished the dark.

Once at the top, the taller figure had a good view of the surrounding landscape. From its vantage point, it could see the jagged shape of the mountain range in the far distance, and the dimly visibly line of where the desert met the marshland leading to the sea. But that's not what the figure was searching for. No, he was searching for something a lot closer to where it stood. An almost whisper of a whistle was heard to the cloaked figures immediate right, causing the figure to turn with it's cloak twirling in its haste as it recognized the signal of its partner. The figure swooped down, almost seeming to float across the sand very swiftly and stealthily, to its awaiting companion.

Once it reached it's partner, the shorter figure lead on to its found discovery. They ventured down to a small valley nestled by five dunes, creating a bowl. They stopped at the bottom to what appeared to be just a sand covered rock at first glance. The shorter figure crouched down and brushed away the sand that drifted to the top, revealing the secret it hid. The taller figure crouched down, analyzing the top. The top had a unique pattern on it, surrounding a small hole in the exact center. The design itself was a cross between multiple spirals and vines that seem to interlock each other.

The leader continued to examine it, then turned back to it's partner, giving a curt nod. The shorter figure nodded back. The two headed swiftly back to the top of the dunes. Once at the upmost peak, the shorter figure raised a cloaked limb. Almost instantly, the move Sand Tomb caused the sand from the other dunes to begin to rush down in an almost whirlpool like fashion, the sand flying up everywhere, but the figure controlled the moves power so it didn't make a scene. And all at once, the figure dropped its extended limb, and the sand immediately came to a halt, leaving only a small swirl on the top of the sand, the dunes all have disappeared except for the ones the duo stood upon. The two stood there, examining it, then with a sharp nod from the taller figure, the two began back the way they came, disappearing without a trace.

* * *

 **Yay! It's finally happened: I finished the 3rd chapter! For real this time! And I promise it won't take me months to get Chapter 4 going; should be done within a few weeks or so. Abyways, R &R, sorry once again for such a long hiatus, and happy reading!**

 **Oh, and don't forget to do the Poll if you haven't already; the more responses, the better! Thanks!**


	6. Ch4:Walkthrough Treetop Village

**Yay, chapter 4! Sorry it took so long, been REALLY busy with midterms, exams and... Life, honestly. Anyways, time to get ready for an adventure, and the best way to do that is to stock up on supplies!**

* * *

"Alright, so what do we do now?" Avery asked the others as he stuffed a roasted Oran Berry into his mouth. They were sitting in what was a little grove that served as the town's food market center. Around them, the trees had multiple stores, stands, and open-aired cooking venues, with the sound of cooking food, the buzz of hungry customers and happy sellers rang through the air, and the smell of the sweet fruits and other food for sale made the trio's stomachs grumble and mouths water.

"We should first ask around about the Deserted Quarry before anything else," Nancy pointed out, sticking a warm Sitrus Berry in her mouth.

"Where is the Deserted Quarry, anyways? I know it's not far from here, but I've never been there before," Bolt admitted as he continued to snack on the rather big Leppa Berry in front of him. Nancy thought about if before taking the stick she had with her, and carefully moving the pile of cooked berries to the side, she stuck the end in the soft ground.

"Okay, so let's say Treetop Village is here," she said as she marked the ground with a an X. "Now, let's say this is Sun-Dew Forest," she said as she now drew a large, lopsided circle around the x. "Sun-Dew Forest is pretty small, but if we travel out further into the Evermore Treeland," she said as she now drew a very big rectangle around the circle, "the Deserted Quarry should be right about here," as she drew another X off to the left of the circle that represented Sun-Dew Forest.

"What's Evermore Treeland?" Avery whispered to Bolt. Bolt whispered back as Nancy now mumbled to herself, scrutinizing her own makeshift map.

"Evermore Treeland is this entire region that's covered in these woods," he whispered. As Nancy added more detail to the map, he pointed them out to the Litleo. "To the south, there, is the Tempest Glades, a small region made up of marshland. To the east, the forest eventually opens up to the region called the Singing Plains, though it's actually just an extension of the bigger region farther out called the Rainplight Desert. To the north, you have the large mountain range region known as the Hallow Mountains dominated by a fiery volcano called Mount Solarflight in the middle, and on the other side of them is the Silent Tundra. And to the west, the forest ends at the Stormlight Ocean. Of course, you can cross the Ocean to reach another continent then this one, which is known as Breezeswept Continent, but it's really difficult to cross it since you have to go around the Temporial Sea in the middle of the ocean," Bolt explained as Nancy continued to draw in different symbols. Avery nodded, trying to memorize all of these places. As he studied the drawn in map, his eyes landed on a small mark in the middle of the Evermor Treeland.

"What's that?" He pointed at it. When Bolt looked, he glanced at Avery with a mildly shocked expression.

"You really don't know anything, huh? That is the headquarters of the Rescue Teams in the Evermore Treeland, Guild Groveflight. Groveflight, like all the guilds of each region, makes their headquarters near the center of their regions, and in this case a giant, ancient tree houses the guild. The tree itself is the second oldest in the world, and very, VERY big," Bolt said excitedly as he always gets when he talks about Rescue Teams.

"And-Hey, are you two even listening?" Nancy cut in, staring accusingly at the two. They exchanged guilty looks, causing the Fennekin to sigh. She pointed with a silver paw at the second X outside of the circle of Sun-Dew Forest. "As I was explaining, if you two were listening, I said that the Deserted Quarry will take a few hours to reach, and we should bring a lot of supplies with us. Luckily, Bolt has that messenger bag that should work well in holding our supplies," she said as she nodded to the bag sitting in the grass next to them.

"What type of supplies should we bring? We can't bring anything too pricy either, since I only have about 1,000 Poke Cents left," Bolt said as he checked inside the bag. Nancy simply shook her head.

"We don't need to buy anything too expensive, just the basic stuff. You know, like Oran Berries, Apples, Gummies, and maybe an Orb or two. Oh, but we should also bring an Elixir as well, just in case. Altogether, that should only be about 900 PC," she said as she did the math in her head. Bolt nodded. When they saw how confused Avery was, they both thought of something.

"Hey, Avery, while we buy the supplies, we can explain what they do to you so you know what items to use while at the Deserted Quarry," Bolt told him. The Litleo nodded in agreement, visibly relieved since he honestly has no clue what any of those do. Well, except maybe the apples.

"I think that would be great! Because I have no idea what any of those are," he said with a carefree attitude. Bolt shook his head with a smile on his face before following Nancy through the large village. As they walked on, the Litleo looked around in amazement at all the amazing things around him, and just the amount of normalcy that filtered through the air despite the strange situation he's found himself in. He watched as a Vivillon and Butterfree talked animatedly as a Caterpie and Scatterbug played tag with each other. He also saw a an Ursaring with a Teddiursa talking laughing together with a Toucannon and a Pikipek.

 _This does seems oddly familiar and nostalgic, somehow…_ Avery thought as he realized Nancy was waving him over as she and Bolt headed into another shop. Snapping out of his thoughts, he noticed that the sign hanging above the door looked like a bunch of spheres piled on top of each other. Once he was inside, her realized why.

Everywhere he looked, the wooden, built-in shelves were stacked with orbs, almost all of them being blue and identical in size. As he padded over to Nancy and Bolt who were both looking at a couple of shelves with these orbs, Avery decided to peek at the spheres he passed by. They really did all look exactly the same; all light blue, all a little bigger than an Oran Berry, and perfectly round. _What's so special about shiny blue balls?_ The Litleo thought as he walked over to the two.

"Hey, Avery, I want you to look at this," Nancy said when she saw him approach. When he walked over, she pawed one of the orbs forward so the side of it could be caught in the light. He looked at her in confusion, but getting the direction, he bent down to look at the orb. Though it looked no different, he was about to tell her so when something caught his eye.

"This is a Totter Orb; it causes all in a good-sized area who aren't part of your team to become confused," she explained as she pointed at the inscribed symbol of the ball that had caught his eye to begin with. On the orb's surface, there was an etched in symbol that looked like three spirals in a triangular shape, each going the opposite direction as the one next to it. "Like all orbs, they're helpful to have in a pinch," she said as she picked it up gently and put it inside the messenger bag. Moving on, she and the Shinx scanned the rows of orbs till her spotted one.

"Here's a Slumber Orb," he called the other two over. When Avery walked over to his friend, he saw that the symbol on the orb looked like a couple of different shaped stars thrown together. After sticking it in the bag, Nancy and Bolt continued to point out some of the orbs they thought were important for mystery dungeon exploration.

One orb, they called a Trapbust Orb, had a large X through a smaller circle, and apparently broke any traps in that part of the dungeon they were, but Avery secretly hoped that they didn't come across any traps to need it. Another, called an Escape Orb, had what looked like line going horizontally through an oval, and apparently could teleport you out of a dungeon if things got too tough. As they continued on, Avery marveled at the many orbs and their many uses.

"There's so many! Does every village have these many orbs we can just pick up and buy?" He said in a bit of awe. Bolt shook his head as they headed towards the front desk to buy the two orbs they picked up.

"Nah, not at all. Actually, most villages and towns only have a few shops, and so many of the items are in short supply and are stocked on the shelves together. Treetop Village just happens to be one of the busiest and biggest towns in the area, so each specific type of item has it's own shop. Pretty cool, huh?" He said, smiling at the Litleo, who just nodded as he thought about this.

After Nancy had payed for the two orbs, she lead the two over to another shop in the busy village. This shop had a sign which made Avery think of a cross between a candy store and a bakery, since on the sign was something that looked like a jelly bean and something else that looked like a cupcake, and something else that looked very much like a cube, but not. A bit confused by the strange sign and the fact he knew what a 'jelly bean' looked like though he can't remember where he saw one, he walked into the store. Inside, the first thing that he noticed immediately was the smell.

The smell was nothing like anything he had smelled before. It was as if someone took all the wonderful smells of a bakery and the sweet smells of a fruit shop and threw them together, making his mouth water and his stomach growl in hunger. Next was the actual interior of the store. The store was covered in multicolored decorations of various what he thought was food-related items, and even a small statue of a Bewear and a Snorlax happily eating the strange cupcake-things. To the right, tables were set up at different heights to allow many different sized Pokemon to eat in the bakery with a few already happily munching on their treats, and to the left a small line was in front of the desk, busy Pokemon walking quickly behind as they baked their goodies.

"Avery! Come over here," Bolt called the spacing-out Litleo, who once again snapped out of his airheaded-ness and walked over to his two companions. The Shinx and Fennekin were at the back of the line, waving him over.

"This is a bakery where you could get a lot of different snacks and goods. But, since we're going to dungeon, we're here for.. Those," Nancy pointed. Avery scooted over a bit so he could see in the bakery's little display at the front. On the shelf the shiny Fennekin was pointing at, there was several baskets containing different colors of the 'jelly bean' things. Each basket had a different color, amounting to about sixteen baskets in all. Though he guessed each of them was a different flavor, he couldn't see what was so important about them. His thoughts must've shown on his face, because Bolt took over explaining.

"They're called Gummies; Each gummy is handmade and has a lot of vitamins and good stuff inside them. They're good to bring when you go to a mystery dungeon to keep healthy and stuff, especially if you know you'll be inside that dungeon for a while," he explained. Avery nodded in understanding. Looking at them, he tilted his head.

"So… Which flavor should we get? Like one of each?" he said, glancing at his companions. Nancy started to shake her head, then paused.

"Well, actually, usually each Pokemon type prefers their corresponding color." When she saw his confusion, she pointed at the basket of bright red gummies. "Fire types, like you and me, really prefer the red ones. But, an electric type like Bolt, prefers the yellow ones," she said as she pointed at a the bright yellow gummies. "You're also part Normal type, so I think you would also like the grey ones," she said, pointing at the shiny greyish-brown gummies. Avery looked apprehensively at all of the red and grey gummies, but lit up when he saw the sky-blue ones and a basket of dark blue gummies.

"Can I try those and those?" He pointed to them. Bolt raised an eyebrow when he saw them.

"The light blue and dark blue ones? Usually only Flying types and Water types like them. Are you sure?" He asked, glancing at the Litleo, but he just nodded in assurance.

"Blue is my favorite color, so I really want to try them," Avery said as he continued to marvel the shiny gummies in the basket. Once they reached the front of the line, Nancy asked for some of the red, yellow, and a couple of the different blue-colored gummies. The Slurpuff smiled kindly at them as he reached over and put the gummies in a little bag.

"You're going to explore a mystery dungeon, huh?" He asked with a knowing look. Nancy smiled and nodded as she placed the PC on the small counter in exchange for the bag. As he took the coins, he waved at them. "Good luck!" He called, and Bolt waved back as they headed out. Avery glanced back curiously as he followed them out, Bolt putting the bag of gummies into the messenger bag.

"Huh, so everyone knows about mystery dungeons, huh?" He asked as he followed them through the busy morning village. Nancy nodded while Bolt dropped back to walk beside him.

"Mystery dungeons are very common, actually. Though, according to Mr. Randolph, there wasn't nearly as many before as there is now," he told the Litleo. A thoughtful look crossed his face as he continued. "Lately it seemed that more has been appearing, too, and no one seems to know why. But," he shrugged, "that's nothing to worry about for now." He shrugged dismissively. "Anyways, it's hard _not_ to know about them, since they're everywhere, really." Avery nodded, trying to absorb all of this.

Walking on, he and the Shinx walked after Nancy to a large tree with a stand in front of it. On the stand, a display of various fruits covered it. The Lucario in charge hummed happily as she stacked some Sitrus Berries. On the stand, there were many fruit like the berries he that morning, along with some berries that look very strange to him. The Fennekin confidently walked up to the larger bipedal Pokemon.

"Excuse me? I would like a few apples and Oran Berries, please," she asked. The Fighting and Steel type glanced down, her face lighting up.

"Of course! Let me get you those," she said in a motherly tone, reaching to pick up some of the red fruits. Avery's eyebrow shifted up as he saw the Fennekin take a bag of the apples.

"What're they for?" He turned to Bolt. Bolt smirked with a 'duh, it's pretty obvious' look.

"Well, you don't want to go fainting from starvation, right? Because, let's be honest, not only is it a bad idea in general to faint in a mystery dungeon, but to faint from being too hungry is kind of lame, really." Avery thought about this, then nodded in agreement. _It would be pretty lame to faint in the dungeon because you got hungry,_ he thought, but then a thought struck him.

"Wait, how can you get so hungry to faint by exploring a mystery dungeon?" He asked, giving the Shinx a trepidatious look. Again, Bolt just shrugged.

"Mystery dungeons are full of very grumpy and territorial Pokemon, and they're usually very long, too. So, having to go through the entire length of the dungeon and having to battle all this Pokemon make you pretty hungry," he explained. Avery thought about this, then thought about the last few days. _Despite that being a bit over the top, I can honestly believe that._ By that time, Nancy had gotten the apples and Oran Berries and had payed the happy Lucario.

"Alright, so the last place to stop by now is to go get some other supplies; Namely a few Elixirs," she said as she handed the bag of fruit to Bolt who stuck it into the messenger bag. She struck off, again leading the two through the village. Avery raised an eyebrow at the Fennekin's assurance as she walked around giant trunks of the trees.

"You sure are used to walking around here," he commented offhandedly. Despite his best try, she saw through his play and glanced mischievously back at the Litleo.

"I've come to this village many times before, so I know a thing or two about where different shops are," she said as she turned back to face forward. "We would sometimes come here and just walk around, looking at anything new that might have come out. But, for now, let's focus on getting the last of our supplies to go to the Deserted Quarry," she said in a tone that clearly meant 'conversation over with? Great', but when she spoke, both Avery and Bolt noticed the hint of sadness in her tone.

 _We?_ Avery exchanged a look with Bolt, and when he turned to ask the Fire type, he caught a glimpse of the tip of her blazing red tail heading through a door. Again, the two Pokemon exchanged looks before following Nancy inside, deciding to keep quiet about it for now.

Inside, Avery instantly decided that this was the general store of the Pokemon world. The shelves were covered in various items, each type of item in a separate shelf. As the Litleo and Shinx walked over to where the silver Fennekin was, Avery took the moment to look around the such normal-looking store as he's seen all day.

One shelf had a bunch of orbs on them, each having a different symbol on the glassy blue surface. The shelf below that had a bunch of different berries on it, each type of berry in basket to keep them organized. One shelf that caught Avery's eye was a shelf way to the back with what looked like it held a bunch of CD players, but Bolt told him those were called Technical Machines, or TMs for short, and can be used to learn a particular move. Across the row, another shelf held a whole lot of gummies, but not nearly as many as the bakery had.

When they got close to the Fennekin, Avery saw on one shelf what looked like a smaller version of the Starcoins. Bolt quickly explained that these were just used for good luck on whatever the Starcoin represented, like one was shaped like a quill, and represented good luck in a test, or another was in the shape of two hearts, which represented good luck in your love life. Avery picked up one that was in the shape of what looked like the points of a compass.

"That one is for luck on adventures," Bolt said when he saw the Litleo looking at it. _Adventure, huh?_ He stared at the star-like red pendant for a moment longer before continuing on. They caught up to the Fennekin, finding she was humming a sweet tune while looking over what seemed like bottles full different colored liquids, each color in a different section of the shelf.

"Do you know what these are?" She asked when she saw the Shinx and Litleo approach. Avery looked at the strange liquids, and shook his head. She carefully reached over and picked one of the jars up with both paws, causing the white goo inside to jiggle and shift slightly, reminding Avery of a jelly or something.

"This is an Elixir, a drink you use when you've been battling for a long time and you're low on energy so that your attacks don't really work anymore. They're really handy to have around," she said as she gave it to Bolt, who stuck it inside of the messenger bag, then turned back around and grabbed a few more. She then turned to the jars with orange liquid inside, pointing at them.

"That's Calcium. Vitamins like it help increase your strength in different ways, depending on which ones you drink." She then looked at the other jars lines up next to it, each filled respectively with a red, blue, green, yellow, and purple liquid. "These are Carbos, Zinc, Protein, Iron, and HP Up. Like if you know you're about to be in a rough spot, drinking one or two of these would help you, but because they're pretty expensive, we won't get any this time. That, and we don't really need them, since it's not like we're going to be fighting a Legendary or anything." She turned away from the jars, leading the two over to the counter where the awaiting Meowth happily awaited.

As she showed the different things in the messenger bag, showing which ones she was going to buy from this door, Avery sat to the side, thinking. _The Pokemon world sure seems a lot like the human world; a lot of it is very similar, like the different shops and stuff._ But how did he know this if he couldn't remember anything about the human world? He frowned, staring at the ground.

 _Why can't I remember anything? Nothing about my world, or about my life… Or my home…_ Though he's been avoiding that thought process, he felt a sudden urge to curl up in a corner and cry, but he stuffed the feeling down, leaving it to sit like a rock in his stomach.

 _Will I ever get home?_

* * *

 **I feel Avery, I really do. (Must suck not being able to remember anything about your life, especially your home.) Anyways, I hope none of you go confused when you read the part describing this world! R &R, thanks!**


End file.
